Strap cutter



March 30, 1954 PALMLEAF 2,673,394

STRAP CUTTER Filed June 22, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l fizuenfir 1%rfierfPaZm Zegf March 30; 1954 PALMLEAF 2,673,394-

STRAP CUTTER Filed June 22, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 30, 1954 STRAP CUTTER Herbert *Palmleaf, Melrose Park, =Ill., assignor to pany, Chicago, 111., a cor- A. J. Gerrard & Com

poration of Illinois Application June 22 1950, serial No. 169.683

Claims.

The invention relates generally to tightening devices, and more particularly to an improved cutting mechanism for band cutting andtensioning devices for use in tightening metal bands or like members about bales or other forms of packages.

The invention has among its objects theproduction of such a device with which is combined a suitable improved cutting mechanism for severing the excess portion of the band to provide a device which is very efficient.

Another object of the device is to provide an improved band cutting mechanism which is simple to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting mechanism in which the cutters are adapted to be reversible and interchangeable, and in which the durability of the cutter is greatly improved.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cutting mechanism for a band cutoff device in which the cutting mechanism is compact and readily accessible.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cutting mechanism in which additional support is gained by the lower cutter dropping on top of the lower band.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved top cutter for the cutting mechanism to compensate for the falling action of the bottom cutter.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved cutting mechanism for use with conventional tensioning apparatus having a. combined band cutter and tensioning device.

Another object of the invention is the production of a band cutter having novel features as will hereinafter be described.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of thespecification and with all of said objects and advantages in view, this invention consists of several novel features of construction, arrangement andcombination of parts hereinafter fullyset forth andmore particularly defined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying the specification, in-which:

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation view-ofa device embodying the improvedcutting mechanis nof the present invention, illustrating the mannerin which the device-is used;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. l with the band removed;

Fig. 3'is a view-in elevation, partlyin section, takenalong line 3- -'3=looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the before the band is severed;

Fig. 4 is a partial view in elevation of the cutting mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3 in which the cutting mechanism is illustrated at the end of the stroke in which the band'is severed; and,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 1 of the cutting mechanism.

It has been customary in securing bands to bales or other packages to employ atightening device for tensioning the band around the package, after. which the end ofthe band was securely fastened together by various means, the tensioning apparatus being then disengaged from the band, after which the excess portion thereof was severedby means of the usual hand shears or snips.

cutting mechanism The improved cuttingmechanism of this invention is adapted for use with a band cutter and tensioning device'of the general type as disclosed and claimed in the U. '8. Letters Patent No. 2,199,744granted to J. M. Gerrard on May '7, 1940. Referring to Fig. '1, a band cutter and tensioning device 10 of the type of the aforementioned patent is provided with the improved cutting mechanism .ll of this invention which will be described in detail later. The device'is usually placed upon aboX or other package (not shown) upon which-the band 12 is placed one end of the band l3 passing through the machine, the opposite end 14 encircling the package "and secured to a drum I5. The end M of the band is wound upon the drum l5 as is well understood in the art, while'the opposite end l3 may be held statidnary in :the machine by suitable mechanism (not shown as it' is not necessary for the understanding of this invention). When enough of the band has been wound upon the drum I5 to give the desired tension, a seal 1 6 similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1 is placed upon the band-and crimped to securely lock it and the end of the band together, this being accomplished by" a suitable deviceof which there are many'onth'e market. The above described operation is similar tothat of machines now on'the market.

shown in Figsl to 5, inclusive, the device in which is incorporated the improved cutting mechanism of the invention comprises a base I! having a shaft (not shown) journaled therein. Mounted on the shaft is a toothed driving wheel [8, one end of the shaft, terminating in the, drum l5, and'the otherendin aknurled knob is. A pawl mechanism (not shown) carried by a handle 20 foperatively connects the latter to the toothed wheel l8 and' another pawl carriedby the base 17 also engages the'toothed'wheel I 8.

3 Thus, when the handle is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction about the shaft, the pawl mechanism will engage the toothed wheel l8 and rotate it in the same direction. With the pawl mechanism similar to that disclosed and claimed in the aforementioned patent, the toothed wheel |8 may be forcibly rotated in either direction merely by reversing the pawl mechanism as is well understood in the art.

The improved cutting mechanism H of this invention is positioned between the drum l5 and the seal l5 securing the two ends of the band together. The cutting mechanism broadly comprises a pair of shearing or upper and lower cutting members respectively 2|, 22, pivotally mounted upon a stud 23 for journaling the cutting member. The upper cutter member is shaped as illustrated in Fig. 3 and formed with an improved cutting edge 22', the purpose of which will be pointed out later in this specification. A compression spring 24, normally biases the upper cutter member in the position shown in Fig. 3. The lower end of the spring is positioned in a socket 25 of the cutter member and the upper end is positioned in a substantially tapered hole 26 which is threaded for receiving an adjusting screw 21 for adjusting the compression of the spring for biasing the upper cutter member. In the uppermost position, cutter member 2| is positioned in a recess 28, Figs. 1 to 3.

The lower cutter blade 22 is formed as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5 and has a boss portion 29 for mounting the lower cutter 22 upon the stud 23. The lower cutter member is normally spring biased upwardly as shown in Fig. 3 by a spring 30 engaging a recess 3| formed in the cutter member 22 and adjustably mounted in a hole 32 in the base I! which is threaded to receive an adjusting screw 33. It is particularly desirable that the spring 3|] may be adjusted to have sufficient compression to normally resist the stress of the opposite end l4 of the band I3 as it is tensioned upon the drum l5 prior to shearing off the ends. A stop 34 formed on the cutter member 22 engages a stop portion 35 formed on the base member as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This stop construction limits the downward movement of the cutter member 22 which is also limited, as shown in Fig. 4, by the bottom edge of the cutter member 22 contacting the band I3 and the outer edge of the base member I! as shown in Fig. 4.

An L-shaped plate member 36 having a portion forming a notch 31 permits the passage of the ends of the band member l2 to the cutting mechanism H and also serves to mount the outer end of the stud 23, as shown in Fig. 5. The plate member 36 is securely positioned by the studbolt or screws 38. The L-shaped plate member 36 also serves to take the lateral thrust of the upper shearing member 2| during the shearing operation. V

In order to actuate the improved cutting mechanism of this invention, operating mechanism39, similar in construction to that of the aforementioned patent may be utilized. This mechanism comprises a handle 40 pivotally secured to the base H by a bolt 4| and nut 42. The base member I1 is provided with a bore 43 in which is positioned a ball or sphere 44.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the extreme end of the handle 48 is shaped in the form of a cam 45 and is engageable with the sphere 44 so that rotation of the handle 43 upwardly will force the ball 44 and the upper cutter member 2| downward, thereby shearing the band l3 and shearing the end of the band l4 passing between the cutting plates 2|, 22. The L-shaped plate member 36 is provided with a notch 46 to permit passage of the cam 45 as the handle 43 is rotated. The recess 28 is grooved at 41 to permit movement of the sphere 44 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The base is provided with a suitableslot 48 in Fig. 3 formed by the lower cutter blade 22 and the base ll, so that the band l5 will pass over the base ll as shown in Fig. 1. When the handle 43 1s moved upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 in a counter-clockwise direction, the cam 45 will engage the sphere 44 moving the upper cutter member 2| from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the portion l4 of the band I2 is severed. The shape of the cutting edge 22' in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 is such as to compensate for the falling action of the bottom cutter. In the cutting operation, as the upper cutter member 2| moves downwardly engaging the band M, the shearing action is first resisted by the spring biased lower cutting member 22 and as the cam moves downwardly through the upward movement of the handle 40, the lower cutter member 22 moves downwardly simultaneously under the combined action of the force upon the upper cutter member shearing the band l4 until the lower cutter member reaches a position as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the band portion I4 is sheared completely off.

The novel cutting mechanism II also provides for ready interchangeability and replacement of;

and lower cutting blades 2|, 22 so that the band cut-off the upper as the cutter blades are worn, device may be readily serviced.

The complete operation of the device is as follows: The device is positioned on a box or container as is well understood in the art and the end |3 of the band |2 inserted into the machine, the band l3 passing as shown through the slot 48 and slot 49 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The free end of the band is then drawn around the container, the seal i6 is threaded on the band and the free end extends through the slot 50 be-i tween the upper and lower cutting blades 2 I, 22 and around the drum l5 as shown in Fig. 1. The extreme end of the band I4 is inserted in one of the slots 5| of the drum IS. The handle 23 is ratcheted as disclosed with reference to the aforementioned patent in a counter-clockwise direction winding the band |2 upon the reel I5. The handle 2|] may then be returned to its original position as shown in Fig. 1 by suitable mechanism, and the drum l5 may again be rotated as previously described. This is continued until the band has been placed under the desired tension, after which the seal I6 is moved to the approximate position shown in Fig. 1, and a suitable crimping machine applied to the same, crimping the seal as is well understood in the art, thereby securely fastening ends of the band to one another.

The handle 43 of the cutting mechanism is then moved upwardly to such a position as to sever the band portion M as previously described, forcing the cutter blade 2| downwardly and cutting off the excess portion of the band wound upon the drum IS. The handle 40 of thecutting mechanism is then returned to its original position; and if desired, it may be continuedto be moved downwardly for actuating a mechanism of the type disclosed in the aforementioned pat-1.

ent to raise a suitable dog mechanism (not shown).- to allow the. device to be withdrawn from the band.

In tensioning the band, should the drum !'5' be rotated too far, or for some other reason it is desired. to forcibly rotate the drum in a clockwise direction, suitable pawl mechanism (not shown) may be merely reversed as disclosed in the aforementioned patent so that the handle 20 will rotate the drum [5 in the opposite direction. This procedure may also be utilized in unwinding the band from the drum l 5 to remove the severed waste portion of the band from the device.

It will be noted from the above description that there has been provided a tensioning device which is provided with an improved cutting mechanism for severing the band, and in which the cutter lever may also be used to disengage the device from the band when used with a band cutter and tensioning device disclosed in the aforementioned patent, so that severing the band and removal of the device is accomplished in a single operation. The improved cutting mechanism is also so positioned that substantially all excess material is severed thereby insuring neat and accurate work. It will also be noted that I have provided, in conjunction with my improved cutting means, means of the t s as disclosed in the aforementioned application for forcibly rotating the drum in both a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction or, as desired, the operating handle may be completely disengaged from the drum.

Having thus described my invention, it will be obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a band cutter, the combination of a base member, a resiliently biased and pivotally mounted lower cutting member, a movably mounted upper cutting member pivotally and operatively mounted on said base to return to initial i position upon completion of its cycle of movement, said lower cutting member adapted to support the portion of a band to be severed, means for moving the upper cutting member downwardly into cutting relation with the edge of said lower cutting member, a portion of the band being tensioned adapted to be supported on the base member, and said lower cutting member adapted during the severing operation to move downwardly against the resilience thereof and engage said band portion extending beneath the lower cutting member during the severing operation.

2. Cutting mechanism for a band cutting 'device having a base member, a resiliently biased and pivotally mounted lower cutting member mounted thereon, a movably mounted upper cutting member pivotally and operatively mounted on said base to move through a predetermined cycle of movement, said cutting members pivotally movable with respect to each other, said lower cutting member adapted to support the portion of a band to be severed, means for moving the upper cutting member downwardly into cutting relation with the edge of said lower cut- 6 ting member; and said upper andilower cuttin members and the portion of the band: to besev ered moving downward under the action of the aforesaid means against the resilient bias of said lower cutting member until the lower cutting member engages the base member whereupon the cutting action is completed upon further movement of the upper cutting member.

3. Cutting mechanism for a band tensioning device having a base member, a resiliently biased and pivotally mounted lower cutting member, a movably mounted upper cutting member pivotally and operatively mounted on said base to move through a predetermined cycle of movement, said cutting members pivotally movable with respect to each other, said lower cutting member adapted to support the portion of a band to be severed, means for moving the upper cutting member downwardly into cutting relation with the edge of said lower cutting member, a portion of the band being tensioned adapted to be supported on the base member, and said lower cutting member adapted to move downwardly against the resilient bias of said lower cutting member and engage said band portion during the severing operation.

4. Cutting mechanism comprising a base member, a resiliently biased and pivotally mounted lower cutter member mounted thereon, a movably mounted upper cutter member pivotally and operatively mounted on said base to complete a predetermined cycle of movement, said upper and lower cutting members pivotally movable with respect to each other, said lower cutter member adapted to support the portion of a band to be severed, means for moving the upper cutter member downwardly into cutting relation with the edge of said lower cutter member, said upper and lower cutter members and the portion of the band to be severed moving downward under the action of the aforesaid means against the resilient bias of said lower cutting member until the lower cutter member engages the base member whereupon the cutting action is completed upon further movement of the upper cutter member, a plate member detachably mounted on the base member, common pivot means for said upper and lower cutter members, and said plate member and said base member adapted to support said common pivot means.

5. Cutting mechanism comprising a base member, a resiliently biased and pivotally mounted lower cutter member mounted thereon, a movably mounted upper cutter member pivotally mounted on said base, said upper and lower cutting members pivotally movable with respect to each other, said lower cutter member adapted to support the portion of a band to be severed, means for moving the upper cutter member downwardly into cutting relation with the edge of said lower cutter member, said upper and lower cutter members and the portion of the band to be severed moving downward under the action of the aforesaid means against the resilient bias of said lower cutting member until the lower cutter member engages the base member whereupon the cutting action is completed upon further movement of the upper cutter member, a plate member detachably mounted on said base member, common pivot means for said upper and lower cutter members, said plate member and said base member adapted to support said common pivot means, and resilient means for biasing said upper cutter member in spaced apart relation with respect to the lower cutter member 8 for the reception of a. portion of a band member Number Name Date to be severed. 1,776,868 Stratton Sept. 30, 1920 HERBERT PALMLEAF. 1,843,655 Ungar Feb. 2, 1932 1,971,021 Spoor Aug. 21, 1934 References Cited in the file of this patent 5 ,1 9,744 Gerrard May 9 0 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,283,827 Spencer May 19, 1942 Number Name Date 2,368,969 Cleveland Feb. 6, 1945 389,766 Sligh Sept. 18, 1888 FOREI N PATENTS 954,393 Hollingsworth Apr. 5, 1910 10 Number Country Date 972,139 Harwood Oct. 11, 1910 516 276 Germany Jan. 2 1931 1,112,607 Hainer Oct. 6, 1914 

